McGill University Thèses et mémoires publiés en 1954

Pharmacological evidence suggests that the sympathetic supply to the blood vessels of the cat's submaxillary gland is adrenergic; but the most conspicuous response of these vessels to sympathetic stimulation is dilatation. Since the existence of adrenercic vasodilator fibres is controversial, the mechanism of this sympathetic vasodilatation has been investigated. It has been found that the sympathin released within the gland is mainly noradrenaline but contains a substantial proportion of adrenaline. [...]  Lire la suite

In 1900, Gomberg (32) demonstrated that hexaphenylethane dissociates symmetrically in solution into two electrically neutral triphenylmethyl fragments, each possessing a trivalent carbon atom. Ever since this discovery, the investigation of similar free radicals containing unpaired electrons has played an increasingly important part in the formal development of chemical kinetics and especially in the elucidation of complex reaction mechanisms. Prior to the suggestion that free alkyl radicals might be involved in the mechanisms of thermal and photochemical reactions of simple organic molecules, the role of free atoms in chemical mechanisms was firmly established.  Lire la suite

The oldest known descriptions of glaciers are found in Icelandic literature from the 11th century. Scientific studies of glaciers were first undertaken in Switzerland some five hundred years later, and during the 19th century glaciology became important in geology, as it was evident that the glaciers were instrumental in the evolution of landscape. Regular meteorological service, with weather forecasting, was first established in France, where synoptic weather maps were published from 1863, but climatological research had been carried out before that date.  Lire la suite

When George Leigh-Mallory was asked why men should want to climb Everest he made the classic reply: "Because it is there." Perhaps it is not stretching the analogy too far to say that the same answer may be made to the question: "Why should anyone want to tackle the difficult problem of the Second Coming?" It is there as the center around which the theology of the New Testament revolves and it is planted squarely in the creeds of the Church. We can no longer avoid this problem and remain intellectually respectable.  Lire la suite

This thesis describes the measurement of the selectivity factors and radiation resistances of resonant circuits consisting of sections of open parallel-wire transmission line terminated at each end by equal diameter transverse metallic discs. Selectivity factors of 2,000 to 3,500 are easily obtained with these circuits. These high Q's occur for resonant sections, only a few half-wavelengths in length, when the diameters of the discs are in the broad region of 2.5 lambda to 3.5 lambda.  Lire la suite

This study in Anglo-Canadian commercial relations is an enquiry into the conditions of demand in Canada for British exports for the post-war years, 1945 to 1953. The violent economic and political fluctuations of these years limit the extent to which conclusions may be drawn. Emphasis has, therefore, been placed on the influence of the long run forces, which characterize trade between Britain and Canada. The conclusions reached do not apply only to the period examined; nor do they have significance only so long as the disequilibrium continues in the British balance of international payments. The nature of the problem to …  Lire la suite

Protection against large variations in noise, dirt, temperature and humidity is usually achieved in modern studios, theatres, hospitals etc, by a sealed building having a system of internal ventilation and air conditioning, either by units or by a central plant. It quite often happens, however, if care is not taken in the design, that the ventilating system or systems can create as much or more noise than the noises which have been exeluded by the sealed walls. Observations and measurements of noise levels have been undertaken in many countries, and the results have varied from low noise levels, to levels …  Lire la suite

There are many and varied lesions afflicting children which effect the growth of long bones in the body. When this disturbance in growth involves one or all of the bones in the lower extremities, its results are particularly distressing. The difference in length of the lower extremities, even though otherwise normal, produces a limp and a pelvic obliquity with a compensatory scoliosis of the spine. We can dismiss the problem of a discrepancy in the upper limbs as there is no functional disability from a pure difference in length. A discrepancy in the weight-bearing lower limbs is, however, far more …  Lire la suite

Zaloha, Anne B. (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Ben Jonson wrote that Donne’s work was “longer a knowing than most wits doe live”, and feared that it would perish “for not being understood”. The passage of three and a half centuries has not brought about the fulfilment of Jonson’s prophecy, but it has inevitably added to the difficulty of understanding Donne's poetry. Many of the scientific ideas which underlie a great field of his poetic imagery, and much of the Elizabethan Medicine to which he constantly referred, have now been forgotten. A study of them is rewarded by fresh insight into his meaning.  Lire la suite

The Dominion of Canada was the legal creation of the British North America Act, 1867, by which the Provinces of Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick were federally united in one Dominion, under the Crown of the United Kingdom. Lord Monck, in the speech from the Throne to the first Canadian Parliament, on November 7, 1867, said: “I congratulate you on the legislative sanction which has been given by the Imperial Parliament to the Act of Union, under the provision of which we are now assembled and which has laid the foundation of a new nationality that l trust and …  Lire la suite

Since the original studies of Boulenger (1915) (4), Ransom (1906) (38) and Veglia (1915) (46), in the beginning of the twentieth century there have been sporadic and isolated researches on various aspects of the effects of the micro-environmental conditions on bursate nematodes. These included both laboratory and field studies but covered a relatively small number of species of the bursate nematode group. In the laboratory the worms were usually subjected to various artificially imposed conditions and then were compared in their reactions and appearance to nematodes kept under natural conditions.  Lire la suite

This work attempts to show the connection between economics and accountancy in the everyday practices of accountancy. To the best of my knowledge this theme has never before been treated on the scale of a book. J. Canning's work, The Economies of Accountancy, deals with the topic, but his is a static approach; he interprets accounting classifications economically. On the other hand, while Kenneth Boulding's latest book, A Reconstruction of Economics, is dynamic, using the balance sheet in all phases of economic analysis instead of merely in Money and Banking as heretofore, the emphasis is upon economic analysis.  Lire la suite

With the progress or civilization agriculturists have been asked to provide the population with more and better food. Accordingly, attention has been directed not only to those crops which can be used as an immediate source or food but also to those which only serve to provide fodder for domestic animals. Red clover is a plant of the latter type. The intermediate climatic zones of the Eurasian and North American continents constitute the main areas of distribution of red clover.  Lire la suite

This study of modern technical education has been restricted to a consideration of that type of technical education which is directed chiefly towards industrial and engineering occupations; hence, agricultural education and commercial education have been excluded as topics which might be considered in distinct, separate, comprehensive studies. Excluded from this study, for similar reasons partially, are the courses in manual training, industrial arts, and domestic science, which are often given in elementary and secondary schools; moreover, a study of these courses has already been made by Orville White, in The History of the Practical Education Courses in Canadian Secondary Schools, …  Lire la suite

The shortage of edible oils and fats during the Second World War stimulated research in this laboratory on the utilization of linseed oil for edible purposes. This oil is available in good supply. Unfortunately hydrogenated linseed oil when incorporated into shortenings exhibited a marked tendency to produce off-flavours. This tendency to flavor reversion has been attributed to the isolinoleic acids produced by hydrogenation from linolenic acid present in large quantity in linseed oil.  Lire la suite

Following the discovery of lead-zinc deposits in the O'Connor Lake area, N.W.T. during the period 1948-50, the Geological Survey of Canada decided to undertake a programme of geological mapping and examination of mineral occurrences in the area during the year 1952, under the supervision of Dr. A. B. Irwin, the then Resident Geologist of Yellowknife, N.W.T. After a shortwhile however, the present writer assumed full responsibility of the project and the mapping of the area was thence continued through the summers of 1952 and 1953 entirely by the present writer.  Lire la suite

The controversy concerning the authorship of Titus Andronicus has raged for centuries and shows at present no signs of slackening. This is not the place to enter into the fascinating subject of its history; therefore let us immediately embark on our attempt to show in what direction the likelihoods point. In balancing the positive and negative aspects of the strictly literary-historical evidence against each other we soon come to the conclusion that this evidence overwhelmingly ascribes the play to Shakespeare.  Lire la suite

Visible colour changes of animals are of two types, those which result from the build-up or breakdown of pigments, and those which result from their distribution. The assumption of winter dress by some mammals and of breeding dress by some fishes are familiar example of the former. The colour changes of the chameleon illustrate the redistribution phenomenon. Mere distribution of pigment itself may come about in several ways. It may result from the response of contractile tissue or from those of pigmentary effector organs.  Lire la suite

The poet Jamil Sidqi al-Zahawi (1863-1936) was the first and greatest thinker of modern Iraq, and the only Iraqi writer who has gained a wide reputation outside his country - in other Arab and Muslim lands and in Europe. After a traditional Islamic education, Zahawi fell under the influence of Western philosophy and science and became a free thinker, as well as cm ardent liberal and social reformer. He played a certain part in politics and in the Arab national movement both before and after the 1914-1918 war, but the importance of his work lay in the realm, not of …  Lire la suite

The horn fly, Siphonairritans (L.), has been the subject of a considerable amount of study. In general, it seems to be true that the groups of insects that have received the most attention belong to one of three classes: those that are of economic importance, those that are especially adapted to laboratory manipulation, and those that are particularly attractive to collectors. Despite intensive and extensive studies, the economically important horn fly does not land itself very wall to research in the laboratory at the present time.  Lire la suite

“Histochemistry deals with the chemistry of tissues." Or, "histochemistry deals with the chemical characterization of substances in their natural locations within cells and tissues." These definitions furnish the introductory statement to two excellent reviews on the subject by Gersh (1941) and Dempsey and Wislocki (1946). Histochemistry is a relatively young science. As evidence for this, one may cite the very recent publication of the first textbook of Histochemistry (Pearse, A.G.E.: Histochemistry, Little, Brown and Co., Boston, 1953), and the establishment of the first journal devoted to publications within this field (Journal of Histochemistry and Cytochemistry, The Histochemical Society, 1953).  Lire la suite

In 1952 the Committee on Physical Planning of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research of McGill University undertook a programme of research into the physical aspects of urbanisation in the Province of Quebec, the results of which were to be embodied in a report to be presented to the Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation. The research programme was divided into three Projects, one of which dealt specifically with "The Extent and Quality of Residential Development in the Metropolitan Area of Montreal During the Decade 1941-1951".  Lire la suite

The period during and subsequent to World War II has witnessed tremendous progress in the field of agricultural chemicals. Many new organic compounds have been developed and are being recommended for the control of weeds, insects and wireworms in the soil, as well as for the control of fungal diseases of plants. The recent widespread use of some of the newly developed, highly chlorinated hydrocarbons as herbicides and soil insecticides has made it desirable to determine what effect they may incur upon the soil microflora, for it is common knowledge that if such chemicals are bactericidal or even inhibitive to …  Lire la suite

The reaction of lignin with oxidants is of great importance in the bleaching of wood pulps, a process at present based largely on empirical rules. These bleaching reagents must be sufficiently mild to prevent degradation of the cellulose. Oxidants, like chlorine dioxide or alkaline hypochlorite, which have been found suitable for this purpose, offer a promising method of approach to problems concerning the structure of lignin in wood, since a limit to the amount of information obtainable by drastic oxidation appears to have been reached.  Lire la suite

When subjects (Ss) perform a previously learned task under conditions of "stress," their level of performance is not always below their normal nonstress level. Sometimes they show no deterioration in performance, and sometimes they perform even better under stress. Previous investigations (13, 31, 38) have shown that the type of task, the level of proficiency already attained in the skills required by the task, the nature of the stress situation, and other similar factors determine to a large extent what the effects of stress will be.  Lire la suite

Nicolas Berdyaev was born in 1874 in Kiev, the cradle of Russian Christian culture. He was a scion of an aristocratic family, but while studying in Kiev, came under the influence of the writings of Kant and Hegel. While Hegel himself drew conservative conclusions from his own system, Karl Marx drew revolutionary conclusions, and young Berdyaev followed Marx and the early Communists. Expelled from the University for these Marxist leanings, he found himself in exile in the north in company with some of the founders of Russian Communism.  Lire la suite

The process of depositing a metal from an aqueous solution of its salts has been known for at least a century, and has been applied on a practical basis for the greater portion of this time. Early investigations in the electrodeposition field were primarily concerned with improvements in methods and products, and little effort was exerted in attempting to explain the processes taking place. During the last forty years, however, a marked change in this trend has taken place, and while many investigations are still directed towards the solution of practical problems, more and more attention is being devoted to …  Lire la suite

A wide body of information exists on the metabolism of glutamic acid, and its amide, glutamine, in nervous tissue, and the subject has been critically examined in several recent reviews (1. 2, 3). It is proposed in this chapter to outline briefly some of the observations relating, in the main, to the work described in the next two chapters. Krebs in 1935 (4) showed that brain cortex slices of vertebrates, among other tissues, synthesize glutamine from L-glutamic acid and ammonia, in the presence of glucose. The reaction is endothermic, dependent on energy-giving reactions and inhibited by cyanide.  Lire la suite

The organism normally finds itself in a changing and heterogeneous sensory environment, and in this context it manipulates and reacts to stimuli selectively. It has generally been assumed that only a very few stimuli are of importance in this organized behavior, those to which the organism is reacting, those initiating or guiding the behavior of the moment. The possible importance of other stimuli in the organism's environment has been neglected, or such stimuli have been considered important only as possible “distractions”, likely to disorganise behavior and reduce efficiency.  Lire la suite

If a drop of water falls on the surface of the sea just over the flower-like disc of a sea anemone, the whole animal contracts vigorously. If, then, a second drop falls within a few minutes of the first, there is less contraction, and finally on the third or fourth drop, the response disappears altogether (Jennings, 1906). Here, in this marine polyp with the primitive nerve net is clearly exhibited one of the most pervasive phenomena of the animal kingdom decrement of response with repeated stimulation.  Lire la suite

In 1949 the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of Montreal became concerned about its structure and function. Because of its awareness that the concept of Federation needed potency as a symbol of Jewish community organization, the interest and participation of practically all the sections of the population concerned with Jewish needs and problems had to be enlisted. In particular a closer relationship was needed with those sections in the population who are organized in special group activities. Many of these groups were administering flourishing programmes outside the orbit of the local central Jewish community organization.  Lire la suite

The East, in general, and the Muslim countries, in particular, have yet to solve the problem of adaptation to the process of modernisation initiated by the Western Civilisation in its expansive phase. This modernisation is a multi-sided process. It relates to military technique, industrial methods, administrative patterns, intellectual thinking, religious and moral concepts; in short, to the whole way of living. No phase of life has remained untouched by the impact of Western Civilisation on the East.  Lire la suite

In the summer of 1951, an outbreak of cabbage yellows due to Fusarium oxysporum f. conglutinans (Wr.) Snyder and Hansen) was discovered generally distributed in a large field of cabbage at St-Vincent de Paul, a few miles north-east of Montreal. So far as is known this is the first and only occurence of this disease in this region. It is a very well established disease in many parts of the United States, and in a few areas in Canada where it often causes very heavy losses.  Lire la suite

Silicon is the second member of Group IV of the periodic table and is related chemically to carbon, the first member of this group. It occupies a central position in inorganic nature as carbon does in organic nature. Granite, gneiss, meteors, and rocks in general contain silicon; of all the geologic formations, only calcite and dolomite do not contain a substantial proportion of this element. Silicon presents many analogies with carbon.  Lire la suite

The development of hydro-electric power is of paramount importance to the Province of Quebec. There are no coal deposits in the Province, oil has not, as yet, been found, and natural gas has appeared only in limited quantities; therefore, water power, the white coal, must be relied upon to supply the power required for industrial development. Electric power output is often considered an index of industrial growth. In 1900, prior to the inception of long-distance transmission of electricity, Canada's economic basis was agriculture, and the total hydraulic installation was about 173,000 horse power.  Lire la suite

The first attempt at anti-trust legislation occurred subsequent to the report of a Select Committee of the House in 1888 and found its expression in very general and cautious a statute. After having been delayed through strong resistance by pressure groups for a considerable period, the "Act for the Preventlon and Suppression of Combinations formed in Restraint of Trade" (1889) appeared in the statute books, worded extensively with expression like “unduly” and “unreasonably”. Moreover, it was actually only a confirmation to the effect that what had been a civil wrong before should also henceforth be a crime.  Lire la suite

Twenty-five years ago, K. S. Lashley (1929) introduced two important concepts into the body of theories of brain action. They were "equipotentiality" and "mass action." Both concepts were supported by impressive experimental evidence; a number of further studies have tended to confirm them (these will be summarized later), and both terms are firmly established in the literature. Nonetheless, this state of affairs has not been entirely satisfactory. It is difficult to reconcile mass action and equipotentiality with the results of many studies on animals higher than the rat.  Lire la suite

There are a number of areas of research possessing varying degrees of relevancy to the present study. The central problem in this investigation is the relationship of early to final impressions and though such studies reported by Allport (1937), and the more recent one of Gage (1952), are concerned with quickly formed impressions they have little relevance as they are concerned with relating impressions to external criteria. The investigations of Allport and Vernon (1932) and Wolff (1943) dealing with the congruence of different modes of expressive behaviour would be of interest if the task was that of analyzing the bases …  Lire la suite

A study of name propagation at elevated temperatures, using the burning velocity as the characteristic of the phenomenon, has been made. Extensive measurements of burning velocity of propane air mixtures over the range of initial temperatures of 0 to 640 °C have been made with burners of several lengths and diameters. Prediction of relative burning velocity values on the basis of the simplified thermal and diffusion theories was made.  Lire la suite

Ever since the anesthetic and analgesic properties of nitrous oxide were discovered, the question of how nitrous oxide produces these effects has constantly arisen. Some workers claim that, since nitrous oxide is an inert and nontoxic gas, it does not influence the metabolic processes of body tissues. Others, however, feel that the anesthetic powers of nitrous oxide are either attributable to or accompanied by, inhibitory effects on the oxidative processes of the nervous system. This study was undertaken with the view to finding out if nitrous oxide directly affects the metabolic mechanism of the tissue cells, and if so which …  Lire la suite

The subject of this thesis is "Economic Analysis of Pricing Problems in the Transportation Industry." The thesis is concerned completely with overland transportation, and thus with railway transport. In it, we are concerned with the making of individual railway rates, and not with the broader problem of the general rate level. There are two major aspects to the subject. They are rate making from the viewpoint of railway management, and rate making as a subject of public policy. So far as the latter is concerned, we shall not in this thesis concern ourselves with freight rates as an aspect of …  Lire la suite

This study arises out of certain investigations of North American Indian Cultures, which have stressed the relation between personality changes and different stages of acculturation. Hallowell (7) made use of the Rorschach test to analyze "Acculturation Processes and Personality Changes" among the Canadian Ojibwa. He compared two groups, one inland and one outland, and found evidence that distinct personality changes were taking place among the more acculturated outland group.  Lire la suite

The Truro map-area, Colchester and Hants Counties, Nova Scotia, lies between latitudes 45° 15' and 45° 30' north and longitudes 63° 00' and 63° 30’ west. The area, which covers about 400 square miles, lies in the north central part of the province. The city of Truro, with a population slightly in excess of 12,000, is situated in the approximate centre of the map-sheet. Cobequid Bay, an eastward extension of the Bay of Fundy, divides the western half of the mapped area into north and south parts.  Lire la suite

The Spanish Tragedy, in its original form, was written by Thomas Kyd (1558-94), probably during the period 1585-7. A dramatic adaptation of a tale of human passion--the revenge of Hieronimo, Marshall of Spain, on the murderers of his only son--The Spanish Tragedy soon became one of the most popular of Elizabethan plays. It achieved this distinction, as Dr. Boas points out, not because Kyd was a great poet, thinker, or moralist, but because he was a born dramatist with a talent for impressive rhetoric, for exploiting the full technical resources of the Elizabethan stage, and for adapting the Senecan tradition …  Lire la suite

In 1947 the Case Work Section of The Montreal Council of Social Agencies held a panel discussion on "The care and Treatment of the Emotionally Disturbed Child". However, at this time it was felt that the total problem in the community should be further studied and understood before the need for more adequate treatment resources could be established. In 1949, at a meeting of the Case Work Section the first attempt at implementation of this proposal, was effected. A committee was set up to study this problem, and to acquaint the community with what an adequate programme of mental health …  Lire la suite

This study embodies the taxonomic aspects of the Thelaziidae (Eye worms) from a collection of Brazilian birds. These small threadlike worms approximately half an inch long, inhabit various sites of the eye. Some were found in the orbit of the eye, under the nictitating membrane, in the conjunctional sac or free in the eye. The pathogenic effect of these nematodes in game birds has not yet been studied; the number of worms vary from few to many in each eye, and apparently their presence in the host's eyes cause no inconvenience. However, it seems that considerable irritation of the ocular …  Lire la suite

The technique of operation and details of performance of a Dempster-Type mass spectrometer together with results obtained from an analysis of nitrogen gas liberated from a sample of ammonium nitrate are described herein. The results show that the instrument is suitable for the routine analysis of gas samples. In addition, the relative abundances of the two stable isotopes of potassium were determined and found to be in agreement with accepted values.  Lire la suite

The purpose of the following sections will be to determine the distribution into p-blocks of the ordinary absolutely irreducible representations of the symmetric group of degree n. This group will be denoted by Sn. A matrix representation R, of degree f, over a field F, of a group G, is a homomorphic mapping of the elements of G onto a set of square matrices of degree f over the field F. We shall limit ourselves to proper representations, for which R(1) =If' the unit matrix of degree f, and to finite groups.  Lire la suite

The formation of a customs union is an act of commercial policy, it is therefore relevant to a study of customs unions, to examine the two basic approaches to commercial policy, namely, free trade and protection. My sympathies lie in the free trade camp, for protection implies a benefit to one country at the expense of the outside world, or of one group within a country, often at the expense of the rest of the country.  Lire la suite